George H. King (judge)

George Herbert King
George Herbert King
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
	In office; September 14, 2012 – June 30, 2016
Preceded by	Audrey B. Collins
Succeeded by	Virginia A. Phillips
Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
	In office; June 30, 1995 – January 6, 2017
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Seat established by 104 Stat. 5089
Succeeded by	Mark C. Scarsi
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
	In office; April 1987 – June 1995[1]
Personal details
Born	George Herbert King; October 12, 1951[1]; Shanghai, China
Spouse	Pamala J. Dockery[1]
Education	UCLA (BA); USC Gould School of Law (JD)

George Herbert King (born October 12, 1951) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Education and career

King was born in Shanghai, China. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1971 and a Juris Doctor from the USC Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California in 1974. He was in private practice in Los Angeles, California from 1974 to 1975.

In 1971 he was a personnel clerk for Coca Cola Bottling Company.[1] From 1972 to 1975 he served as a law clerk and an associate for three different law firms.[1]

He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California from 1975 to 1979. King returned to private practice from 1979 to 1986. At the same time, he acted as a hearing examiner for the Los Angeles Police Commission from 1980 to 1982.

Federal judicial service

In 1987, King became a United States magistrate judge for the Central District of California. On April 27, 1995, President Bill Clinton nominated King to be a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California, to a new seat created by 104 Stat. 5089. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 30, 1995, and received his commission the same day. He served as Chief Judge from September 14, 2012 to June 30, 2016. He retired on January 6, 2017.

Notable case

In perhaps his most famous ruling, King granted summary judgment in the case of Rupa Marya v. Warner/Chappell Music Inc. in favor of the plaintiffs, holding that defendants had no valid copyright in the song Happy Birthday, in a decision filed September 22, 2015.[2]

References

Confirmation hearings on federal appointments : hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Fourth Congress, first session, on confirmation of appointees to the federal judiciary. pt. 1 (1996)
Mai-Duc, Christine (September 23, 2015). "All the 'Happy Birthday' song copyright claims are invalid, federal judge rules". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 23, 2015.

Sources

George H. King at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

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[CH-1] Confirmation hearings on federal appointments : hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Fourth Congress, first session, on confirmation of appointees to the federal judiciary. pt. 1 (1996)

[2] Mai-Duc, Christine (September 23, 2015). "All the 'Happy Birthday' song copyright claims are invalid, federal judge rules". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 23, 2015.